US embassy cable - 02HANOI2777

UNCLAS HANOI 002777 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PINS, SOCI, VM 
SUBJECT:  ANOTHER MINISTERIAL-LEVEL VICTIM OF NAM CAM 
 
REF:  A. FBIS SEP 20021118000011   B. HANOI 1795 
 
1.  (U)  OFFICIAL VIETNAMESE MEDIA (REF A) AND FOREIGN MEDIA 
HAVE CARRIED REPORTS OF THE NOVEMBER 15 DISMISSAL OF VICE 
MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY MAJOR GENERAL HOANG NGOC NHAT 
FOR "BREACHES OF THE LAW" LINKED TO THE NAM CAM "MAFIA" 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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CASE.  NHAT, WHO WAS ALSO DEMOTED TO COLONEL BUT ONLY 
"DISCIPLINED" BY -- NOT FORMALLY SACKED FROM -- THE 
MINISTRY, HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE OFFICIAL WHO IN 1997 
SIGNED TRUONG VAN CAM'S INITIAL RELEASE FROM PRISON EIGHT 
MONTHS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.  REF B REPORTED ON THE EARLIER 
DISMISSALS AND EVENTUAL EXPULSION FROM THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE 
OF TWO OTHER HIGH FLIERS -- VICE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY 
LIEUTENANT GENERAL BUI QUOC HUY AND DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE 
VOICE OF VIETNAM TRAN MAI HANH -- FOLLOWING THE SIXTH PARTY 
PLENUM JULY 4-15.  ANOTHER, PHAM SI CHIEN, WAS FORMALLY 
DISMISSED AS VICE GENERAL PROCURATOR OF THE SUPREME PEOPLE'S 
PROCURACY IN AUGUST. 
 
2.  (U)  TRIALS IN THE NAM CAM CASE ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN 
HO CHI MINH CITY ON DECEMBER 10 AND CONTINUE UNTIL JANUARY 
28.  AT LEAST 156 PEOPLE WILL BE ON TRIAL, INCLUDING HUY, 
HANH, AND CHIEN.  IT APPEARS THAT NHAT WILL NOT BE 
PROSECUTED.  THERE IS CONSIDERABLE INTEREST AMONG FOREIGN 
JOURNALISTS TO COVER THE TRIALS, BUT THE GVN HAS NOT YET 
ANNOUNCED WHETHER THE COURTS WILL BE OPEN FOR THE MEDIA. 
 
3.  (U)  IN HIS OPENING REMARKS AT THE SECOND SESSION OF THE 
11TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ON NOVEMBER 12, PRIME MINISTER PHAN 
VAN KHAI SPECIFICALLY CITED "NAM CAM" AS A NOTORIOUS EXAMPLE 
OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES PENETRATING INTO THE WORKINGS OF THE 
STATE APPARATUS, AND NOTED THE NEED TO HAVE "TRUSTWORTHY" 
PEOPLE WORKING IN SECURITY-RELATED ORGANS.  GENERAL 
SECRETARY NONG DUC MANH ADMITTED TO THE CLOSING SESSION OF 
 
SIPDIS 
THE SEVENTH PLENUM OF THE 9TH PARTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE ON 
NOVEMBER 9 THAT "ORGANIZED CRIMINALS HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH 
CORRUPT AND DEGENERATE OFFICIALS AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        HANOI  02777  181011Z 
INCLUDING A NUMBER OF HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS," A SUBJECT OF 
"GREAT CONCERN" TO THE PARTY AND STATE. 
 
4.  (U)  COMMENT:  THE CPV AND GVN WILL ATTEMPT TO USE THE 
UPCOMING MASS TRIALS RELATED TO NAM CAM AS SHOWCASES OF 
THEIR SERIOUSNESS IN CRACKING DOWN ON CORRUPTION AND IN 
DEMONSTRATING THAT EVEN SENIOR OFFICIALS ARE NOT IMMUNE TO 
PROSECUTION.  HEAVY SENTENCES CAN BE EXPECTED, INCLUDING A 
POSSIBLE DEATH PENALTY AT LEAST FOR NAM CAM HIMSELF. 
FOREIGN JOURNALISTS ARE SKEPTICAL THAT THEY WILL BE ALLOWED 
TO WITNESS THE TRIALS, GIVEN POSSIBLE GVN WORRIES ABOUT WHAT 
NAM CAM MIGHT BE TEMPTED TO SAY IN HIS OWN DEFENSE (I.E., 
ABOUT HIS ALLEGED LINKS WITH FAMILY MEMBERS OF VERY HIGH 
RANKING CPV AND GVN OFFICIALS).   PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE 
CASE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE HIGH, HOWEVER (AT LEAST IN 
HANOI), NOR IS IT LIKELY THAT EVEN SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTIONS 
OF THESE CASES -- A FOREGONE CONCLUSION IN THIS JUDICIAL 
ENVIRONMENT -- WILL WIN BACK MUCH PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE 
SANCTITY OF GVN AND CPV OFFICIALS AT ALL LEVELS. 
BURGHARDT 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED